Paul Mescal and William Shakespeare.Photo:Jeff Spicer/Getty; Universal History Archive/Getty
Jeff Spicer/Getty; Universal History Archive/Getty
Paul Mescalis taking on the role of the bard in an upcoming movie.
Mescal, 27, is set to playWilliam Shakespearein an upcoming movie titledHamnet, fromAcademy Award-winning filmmakerChloé Zhao.
“That book – it’s just devastating. I can’t wait,” Mescal toldBritish Vogueof the project in a recent interview. “If I told a younger version of myself that this would be [shooting] this year, I wouldn’t believe it.”
“I’ve obviously been in a film with Jessie before [2021’sThe Lost Daughter] but we’ve never shared the screen or a working process together. I think she’s one of our present-day greats,” he added of his costar. “And [filmmaker Zhao] is somebody I can’t wait to get in the weeds with, and get into the heads of those characters.”
Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley and Chloé Zhao.Tristan Fewings/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Tristan Fewings/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Deadlinefirst reported that Mescal and Buckley, 34, were in talks to star in the movie back in May 2023. At the time, the outlet described the story as following Agnes “as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her only son, Hamnet.”
“The novel charts the emotional, familial and artistic consequences of that loss, bringing to life a human and heart-stopping story as the backdrop to the creation of The Bard’sHamlet,” Deadline wrote at the time.
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Hamnetis filmmaker Zhao’s first movie since her 2021 Marvel Studios filmEternals.She rose to prominence in 2021 for her filmNomadland, which starredFrances McDormandand won three awards, including best picture, at that year’s93rd Oscarsceremony. Zhao won best director that year, while McDormand, 66, won best actress.
Paul Mescal on Nov. 19, 2022.Jon Kopaloff/Getty
The movie is among a number of projects Mescal has in the works, including thelong-awaited sequel to director Ridley Scott’s 2000 filmGladiatorandRichard Linklater’s adaptation ofMerrily We Roll Along, which is filming over the course of 20 years and will not be seen for more than two decades from now.
“I love musicals. I’m singing – the whole shebang,” Mescal toldBritishVogueof the latter project. “We’ll be sporadically shooting that over the next 20 years, which is like… it sounds so bizarre even coming out of my own mouth. We’re still in the infancy of it to be totally honest.”
Hamnethas not yet entered production.
source: people.com
